Līvi

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Līvi
Origin Latvia
Genre(s) Hard rock
Years active 1976–present
Label(s) Melodija
Mikrofona ieraksti
Members
Ainars Virga
Jānis Grodums
Guntars Mucenieks
Andris Ērglis

Līvi is a Latvian hard rock band, that was influential in forming the Latvian rock music culture. Their signatures are poetic lyrics and guitar solos.

The band debuted in 1976, when it was founded in Liepāja by Ēriks Ķiģelis and Juris Pavītols. They started out as a pop-rock band and played in various gigs around Latvia, whilst trying to find their own specific style. Thus the period of 1977-1985 was largely a chaotic time in the group’s music – it varied from pretty pop to heavy rock. But one thing never changed – their anti-soviet propaganda, their patriotism and their monumentalism.[citation needed]

After the death of Līvi leader Ēriks Ķiģelis in 1986, Ainars Virga joined the band, thus starting a new era – the era of anthemic ballads, hard hitting heavy rock tunes and rebellious philosophy.[citation needed] Virga composed some of the best-known Latvian hard rock songs.[citation needed] Līvi have recorded a total of 9 albums.

The band’s songs include "Dzimtā valoda", "Dzelsgriezējs", "Meitene zeltene", "Saldus saule", "Piedod man", "Zīlīte", "Tikai tev un man" and "Pāri visam".

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] The Early Days (Ķiģelis era)

The birth of Līvi is usually associated with year 1976, although a band with this name existed for a short time before that.[citation needed] The only common thing is that both bands were founded by Juris Pavītols – a well known guitarist in the 1970s.[citation needed] Līvi were founded in the summer of 1976, when two people first met – Pavītols and Ēriks Ķiģelis, a young guitarist from the city of Saldus.[citation needed] Although their characters varied a lot, they had one common thing on their minds, that is, to form the basis of a new genre, which they referred to as "Latvian rock".[citation needed]

Ķiģelis (vocals, guitar), Pavītols (vocals, guitar), his wife Ingrīda (vocals), drummer Andris Krūmiņš and "the dinosaur of rock" Jānis Grodums (bass) formed a band, taking the name of Pavītols’s first band. "Līvi" were actually a Latvian tribe living in the vicinity of Liepāja and making their living by pirating and fighting with foreign oppressors.[citation needed] The first years of of the band's existence were spent in small-time gigs. Līvi mostly played sad songs written by Pavītols and sung by his wife, but sometimes the band surprised its listeners with some faster, more harder songs, composed by Ķiģelis.

Līvi have had a troubled history, beginning in 1978 when Ēriks Ķiģelis left the band, stating that his and Pavītols’s artistic differences were impossible to overcome.[citation needed] He then formed his own band, Corpus and tried to distance himself from his former musical partners.[citation needed] Meanwhile Līvi hired guitarist Modris Šterns.

In 1980, Ēriks Ķiģelis came back together with three new members – the 17-year old singer Rodrigo Fomins, drummer Vilnis Krieviņš (Krūmiņš had left the band a bit earlier) and band’s life-long sound engineer Juris Jakovļevs. Šterns, on the other hand, felt oppressed and had left the band some months earlier.[citation needed] That didn’t slow the band down, though, and Ķiģelis immediately started writing new songs, so Līvi suddenly became popular, appearing in many music festivals and slowly starting to record their first album – the self-titled Līvi, which was released in 1983.[citation needed]

Latvia at that time was a part of the Soviet Union, and Latvian rock bands were oppressed by the Communist party.[citation needed] The Red Regime saw a potential enemy in the rebellious Latvian hard rockers and in 1981 used its power to ban Līvi from playing any concerts.[citation needed] At that time many fans considered this to be the end of Līvi, but to everyone’s surprise Ķiģelis and Co. emerged in 1982 with a new hit single "Zīlīte".[citation needed]

Šterns came back to the band, but founder Juris Pavītols still couldn’t settle his differences with Ķiģelis and left the band forever.[citation needed] So did his wife, who just didn’t fit in the band’s new hard-hitting style, though songs recorded with her were used in Līvi second album Aprīļa pilieni (April’s Raindrops).[citation needed] For a short period the band was joined by keyboard player Tālis Pusbarnieks.[citation needed] Together they successfully record another album – Iedomu pilsēta (Phantasm City) and became the most popular band of that time.[citation needed]

Pusbarnieks, Fomins, Šterns and Kreiviņš left the band in 1984, because of wanting to start their own musical projects.[citation needed] Ķiģelis was forced to save the band by hiring vocalist Aivars Brīze (later to become known as “the voice of Latvian rock”),[citation needed] keyboardist Guntars Mucenieks and drummer Valdis Štarks. With new members and Līvi all-timer Grodums by his side, Ķiģelis was confident of his chances to remain on top. He started work on new songs and prepared for another tour the following year.

1985 turned out to be a difficult period for Līvi, the first of many. After a concert, Ķiģelis was involved in a car accident and died.[citation needed]

[edit] Resurrection (Virga takes on Līvi)

Ķiģelis protégé Ainars Virga took on the role of being the band’s new leader. Virga was a fan of bands like Black Sabbath, Scorpions, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin, so, when joining the band in 1986, he had already visualized a new path for the band – a harder, guitar-solo oriented and rebellious.[citation needed] His first song was "Dzimtā valoda", an emotional ballad, and an appraisal of Latvian language and culture.

In 1987 Štarks was replaced by Ainars’s younger brother Dainis and in 1989 Tomass Kleins joined the band as a regular guitar player. Thus, when the Soviet Union broke up, Līvi had recorded a dozen of hits and formed their longest-standing lineup, consisting of Aivars Brīze (vocals), Ainars Virga (guitars), Tomass Kleins (guitars), Jānis Grodums (bass) and Dainis Virga (drums).

In 1994 Līvi released the studio album Karogi (Flags), their first recording since the death of Ēriks Ķiģelis in 1985. The album sold double platinum. The release of Karogi was immediately followed by a tour across Northern Europe and Latvia.

In December 1994 Līvi recorded an album in just one night. Spoku Koks (The Ghost Tree) was recorded, cut, mixed and delivered to stores in just one night.[citation needed]

Two years later Līvi released K.M.K.V.P or Kas Mums Var Ko Padarīt (Who Can Do Anything Against Us?). Singles included "Meitene", "Bize" and a jazz version of Līvi's old hit "Dzelsgriezējs". In 1997 Līvi recorded their best-selling album Bailes par ziņģēm (Fear about Songs); an album dedicated to the memory of Ēriks Ķiģelis.[citation needed] The album was successful and remained in fans memories for “Piedod man” – a hard-rockers confession written by bassist Jānis Grodums.

Shortly after the release of Bailes par ziņģēm long-time vocalist and “the voice of Latvian rock”[citation needed] – Aivars Brīze left the group.[citation needed] Two years later Līvi recorded their 7th album Viva. For two years band played without their leader and struggled in the artistic department, by not writing a single song.

In 2000 Virga came back and Līvi recorded an homage to the old millennium – an album entitled 2001. Virga added some punk-rock tunes to their compositions. In 2003, while driving back from a gig, the car driven by Ainars was involved in a car accident.[citation needed] Ainars and Jānis survived, but drummer Dainis and sound-engineer Juris Jakovļevs died from their wounds.[citation needed]

Ainars Virga was accused of being responsible for the accident.[citation needed] Līvi recorded a new album, called Pāri visam (Over everything); a recording dedicated to all rock musicians, who have died in accidents.[citation needed] Krieviņš and Mucenieks returned to the band.

When Ainars Virga was found not guilty of his charges, Līvi were approached by an interesting offer to do a concert accompanied by a symphonic orchestra. Originally an idea by band’s deceased drummer Dainis, the arrangements of songs was done by Ainars and conductor Jēkabs Ozoliņš. The result – a grandiose concert for fans, that was later released on a DVD.[citation needed]

[edit] Members

[edit] Former members

[edit] Discography

  • Aprīļa pilieni, EP (1985)
  • Iedomu pilsēta (1986)
  • Līvi aka Kurzemei - saules ceļš (1988)
  • Karogi (1994)
  • Spoku koks (1994)
  • K.M.K.V.P (1996)
  • Bailes par ziņģēm (1997)
  • Viva (1998)
  • 2001 (2000)
  • Līvi Zelts 1 (2002)
  • Pāri visam (2004)
  • Līvi 1995-2005 (2005)

[edit] Filmography

  • Līvi & Liepājas simfoniskais orķestris: Koncerts bildēs 2004 DVD (2005)

[edit] External links